domestic violence

The New York Mets have signed free agent shortstop, Jose Reyes, to a minor league deal after clearing waivers with the Rockies to reunite the two parties. Jose Reyes was a star for the Mets from 2003-2011 and left for a $106 million contract spanning 6 years with the Marlins. He was then traded to the Blue Jays, then the Rockies acquired him in the Troy Tulowitzki deal. Reyes was suspended without pay (lost $6.25 million) through May 31 for his domestic violence incident last October where he grabbed his wife by the throat and pushed her into a glass door while in Hawaii. He was arrested, but after his wife was uncooperative with the prosecution, the charges were later dropped. Even though he was never formally charged, he still violated the MLB domestic abuse policy which led to his suspension. The Mets GM Sandy Alderson feels Jose has learned from his mistake, served his punishment, and deserves a second chance saying:

“I did meet with Jose personally. We talked for about an hour. Obviously, this domestic abuse issue was the focal point of that conversation. I came away feeling that he had taken responsibility for this mistake on his part, that he was remorseful. He obviously has paid a penalty for this, both financially and in terms of his career. He, I believe, is committed to ongoing counseling and support of organizations working against domestic abuse. And obviously, in addition to this personal meeting, we had a lot of internal conversations. [Chief operating officer] Jeff Wilpon was directly involved in this every step of the way. We were aware of the possible controversy this would generate. We’re also fully aware of the responsibility we sort of have to be leaders in this area of fighting domestic abuse.” Sandy also said, “At the same time, Jose was a member of the Mets organization for 12 years. He was signed at 16 years of age. He was a solid citizen during all of that time. And so, if you think of it in those terms, us as a place where Jose grew up, almost as a surrogate family, we felt that he deserved a second chance, and that second chance was most appropriate with us.”

Also saying:

“We fully understand there will be differences of opinion about this. Some people will feel strongly and differently. I think we accept that. We respect that. All I can say is both Jose and the organization will be held to a standard going forward that recognizes the seriousness of domestic abuse and a commitment to stand against it.”

Reyes expressed regret for his actions and is looking forward to future saying below:

“As I have expressed in the past, I deeply regret the incident that occurred and remain remorseful and apologetic to my family. I have completed the counseling required by MLB, have been in ongoing therapy, and will continue with counseling going forward. I appreciate the Mets organization for believing in me and providing the opportunity to come back home to New York.”

Tim Farrell/The Star-Ledger

The Mets are hoping this second chance for their former star helps a line up desperately looking for a boost as well as add depth. He will spend around a week in the minors to recalibrate his skills before joining the MLB roster. The Rockies are responsible for the $39 million he’s owed and the Mets only have to pay him the league minimum of $507,50. This is a great low-risk, high-reward opportunity for New York. His role will not be as shortstop with the Mets as Asdrubal Cabrera blocks him there. He will be playing 3rd and even work in the outfield. Reyes should be slotted into the leadoff spot to boost the Mets order. He will also bring a much needed speed to a team barren of it. It is unfair for anyone to expect his 2011 batting title days coming back as Alderson said on his expectations:

“Do we expect him to win the National League battle title this year the way he did in 2011? No. Has he lost a step – maybe? Is he the premier shortstop that he once was? It doesn’t really matter — he’s not going to play shortstop. So we’ve taken all of those things into account. We think he can help us. You know, from a motivational standpoint, I don’t think we would be able to find a player who is more determined, more highly motivated to perform than Jose is today.”

I personally used to be a fan of Reyes, but lost all respect for him after his altercation with his wife. With the statements from Alderson, it seems that the Mets have and are continuing to handle the situation well. It is great to see the MLB as a whole handling domestic violence seriously. I hope Reyes has truly learned from his mistake. Based on the statements, both parties feel that he has. It is good to see that his counselling will continue while in New York. Even though I will never look at him the same like many others and rightfully so, I wish the best for him and his family and hope he grows from this experience. You can spend your life working hard, building up your reputation, and respect, doing great things – but it only takes one regrettable act to have it all come crashing down. Any man that hurts his wife is not a man at all. However, I do believe in second chances.

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Commissioner Rob Manfred made his first domestic violence stance since the new policy was implemented in August. Closer, Aroldis Chapman, of the New York Yankees was punished and accepted a 30 game unpaid (will lose $2 million) suspension starting Opening Day for his abusive actions back in October, 2015. Chapman allegedly pushed and choked his girlfriend and fired gun shots into the wall of his garage. No charges were filed, but that didn’t stop the MLB from stepping in swiftly to lay down the law and send a powerful message to the MLB. Manfred’s statement below:

Manfred did a good job conducting an investigation and acting quickly, within four months, to discipline Chapman. Aroldis denies he harmed his girlfriend, but in his statement he said he acted inappropriately:

“Today, I accepted a 30 game suspension from Major League Baseball resulting from my actions on October 30, 2015. I want to be clear, I did not in any way harm my girlfriend that evening. However, I should have exercised better judgment with respect to certain actions, and for that I am sorry. The decision to accept a suspension, as opposed to appealing one, was made after careful consideration. I made this decision in an effort to minimize the distractions that an appeal would cause the Yankees, my new teammates and most importantly, my family. I have learned from this matter, and I look forward to being part of the Yankees’ quest for a 28th World Series title. Out of respect for my teammates and my family, I will have no further comment.”

The MLB, MLPA, and Rob Manfred have my approval and respect for their handling of this domestic violence issue. They created a new policy, stuck with it strongly, and sent a message to the league. There will be no appeal, which is thankfully avoiding more conflict with the commissioner and arbitration. If Chapman would have lost the appeal, he could have ended up having more games added to his suspension. 30 games is a good time length because if the suspension lasted 45 games or any longer, it would have prevented Aroldis Chapman from becoming a free agent due to service time. Hopefully, Aroldis will use this time to reflect on his actions and perhaps receive some counseling. The message that domestic violence will not be tolerated in professional baseball by any means was well sent. The whole situation was not a “circus” and it was handled professionally, unlike similar issues in the NFL. Other sports take note, the MLB got it right with its domestic violence stance. Let’s hope this step in the right direction continues across all sports.